8 Top Tips When Buying an Investment Property

In most countries, purchasing an investment property continues to be one of the most popular ways to invest. The goal of this investment should be to provide you financial freedom and enhance wealth. The problem is many believe that once they get into the venture, it will be a guaranteed, easy success.

It is vital you learn how to effectively manage your investment as this will determine whether or not the investment can help you achieve your financial goals. Below are a few tips when buying an investment property:

1. Choosing the ideal property at the right price

Purchasing an investment property at the right price is highly critical. It is all about the capital growth when it comes to investing in a property so make sure to choose a property that has a high potential of increasing in value.

Always do research. Find out as much as you can about what is selling in a certain area. The more you learn, the more you become skilled in determining the property that is worth investing on. In other words, you will know a bargain when you see it.

If you want to acquire valuable data on various locations and properties, get information from lenders and insurers as they have data that can help you avoid selecting the wrong investment property.

2. Do Your Computations

You should consider property investment as a means of long term type of investment. As this is the case, you need to ensure that you have the budget to maintain your mortgage repayments over the long-term. It is not right to sell your investment property when you are not good and ready since if you are to encounter any financial problems then you might be forced to dispose of the property at the wrong time.

It is less expensive to keep an investment property and service the loan once you already own the property. This is because you can get rental payments as well as tax deductions on several of the expenses connected with property ownership. Things will become easier along the way especially that as rent tend to increase over time so will your income.

Learn the taxes involved in property investment and include this in your budget. Seek advice from your accountant and learn about stamp duty, capital gains tax and land tax. While interest rates can change over time, as the owner, you can always increase the rental fee to cope with the expenses.

3. Get a Reliable Property Manager

Usually, a property manager is a licensed real estate agent whose job is to make sure that things are in order for you and your renter. Your agent can provide you advice, assist you in managing your tenants and help you get the best value for your property.

Your agent should be able to teach you about property law as well as the rights and responsibilities of both you and your tenants. The agent can also handle maintenance problems. Except for other emergency repairs, the maintenance costs should get your approval first in advance. Your agent can also assist in finding the right tenants, do background checks as well as make sure tenants pay rent on time.

4. Understand the market and the dynamics where you are buying.

Search for other properties available in your current area and talk with as many real estate agents and locals as you can. Only get advice from professionals you can trust and make sure to do the leg work. You can use the information in this site to view demographics, average rents, property values, and suburb reports.

It will be to your advantage to know about the changes that are planned or are happening in your suburb. For example, knowing about the planned by-pass may quickly enhance the value of your property as this means traffic in the area may reduce.

5. Pick the right type of mortgage to suit you.

There are a lot of financing options for an investment property. Seek advice in this area to find the option that will be in favour to your financial status.

While the interest on an investment property loan is usually deductible, some borrowing costs are not easily deductible. Appropriately structuring your loan is vital and it is best that you seek help from a trustworthy financial advisor about this.

When choosing between a fixed rate loan and a variable rate loan, go with the loan that is in favour with your circumstance. Carefully consider both options before you decide. For example, as a variable rate loan can become cheaper overtime, choosing a fixed rate loan at the appropriate time can really be beneficial.

Rather than principal and interest, a majority of the investment loans should be created as ‘interest only’ as it can enhance the effectiveness of the tax of your investment especially for a home loan. An ‘interest only’ loan is better compared to principal and interest loan when it comes to investment property since it causes your negative gearing benefit to decrease as you pay down your loan.

6. Examine the age and condition of the property and facilities.

The condition of your property and facilities can highly affect the profit of your investment. It is vital, that before making a purchase, you hire a professional property inspector to perform comprehensive inspection of the property in order to detect potential issues earlier.

7. Make the property attractive to tenants

Choose neutral tones and make sure that your property’s kitchen and bathroom is in good condition. An attractive property can attract better quality tenants. When it comes to purchasing a property, do not only consider what you think is attractive to you. What is attractive to you may not be attractive to some. Remember, that the investment property will be the home of your tenant and not your own.

8. Take a long-term view and manage your risks

Think of property investment as a long term investment and understand that property prices do not rise right away. The longer you can commit to a property, the better. When you build up equity then you can decide to purchase your second investment property. Avoid being greedy and balance your goal of financial stability and in enjoying your current life.